Burning Like a Candle
by EverShadow
Summary: What happens when you take away the thing most important to a dancer? Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This story is inspired by a family friend who can no longer walk or function on a day to day basis but is supported by her loving husband everyday.

* * *

It happened during Glee practice. Brittany took one wrong step and fell over, crashing loudly and rather horribly into the chairs. Everyone stopped and some instinctively went over to her asking if she were ok. Brittany stood up, saying "I'm fine." But she looked shaken. Mr. Shue went over, put a hand on her shoulder and told her to take 5. Brittany shook her head. "I'm fine." She insisted. Santana Lopez watched from a distance. She was one of the few who didn't rush to Brittany's aid. It was as if Santana herself had fallen instead of Brittany. The look of confusion and shock on the Latina's face mirrored that of the blonde's. Everyone else went back to the set but Santana couldn't stop looking at the blonde and for good reason.

Brittany doesn't fall.

As stupid as Brittany was, clumsy she was not. She hadn't fallen since she had taken her first steps. It was like she was born with the grace of a dancer and her body just took a few months to grow muscles to support that. But she took her first steps and never fell again. Even when Santana pushed her as hard as she could, Brittany stumbled but recovered gracefully. She confronted Brittany right after practice.

"Brittany, what happened at Glee?"

"I fell, no big deal." Brittany said, trying to ignore the problem.

"Brittany, you don't fall. _Ever_." Santana stated.

"You have to fall sometime."

"You're like a cat! You land on your feet!" Santana insisted.

"I don't want to talk about it." Brittany said and walked away. Santana knew something was wrong.

This suspicion only continued when the following week, Brittany, who was supposed to catch Mike Chang, literally just sat down as if her legs gave way. Mike, who trusted each and every Glee member with his life, leaned back and fell onto her.

"Oh my god!" Rachel gasped, covering her mouth. Finn and Puck rushed to lift the jock off of the dancer. Brittany was fine, both of them were; physically at least.

"Dude, twinkle toes, nothing in the choreography says to sit down." Puck snapped and Santana instantly rushed over to defend her.

"Back off Baldy Jr." Santana hissed.

"No, Santana, it was my fault. We're the ones who did the choreography. I knew it like the back of my hand. I just need a minute." Brittany said but she didn't move. The tension had grown to the point where Mr. Shue told everyone just to go home. He then called Brittany over.

"Are you ok? You seem out of it."

"Sorry, Mr. Shue, it won't happen again." Brittany said.

"Are you eating right, getting enough sleep?" He asked.

"It won't happen again." She repeated and walked out of the room, her head downcast.

Things didn't improve over the next few weeks. Brittany stumbled more and more but only Santana saw it as a major problem. Everyone else assumed this was a natural thing, the blonde is stupid and clumsy. But Santana knew the truth. Brittany was more graceful than the whole school combined.

One day Brittany just didn't show up to school. Everyone assumed it was because she just forgot how to read the alarm clock but Santana knew. Since she got her car the beginning of their senior year, she had picked Brittany up daily. This morning, however, when she got to the house Brittany's mother told her to go on without her. It looked like she had been crying all night.

Santana wasn't going to take that for an answer. The minute the bell rang, she skipped out on Glee practice and went to Brittany's house. Her mother wasn't home so Santana climbed onto the porch roof and knocked on Brittany's window. It took a minute but she saw the lump in the bed move and slowly make her way to open the window. Santana slid inside.

"Hey, missed you at school today. Are you sick?" She asked. It was obvious that Brittany had been crying the previous night.

"I guess so."

"You have a fever? Mono? We shouldn't make out?" Santana joked, referring to the one time they had drunkenly kissed. Brittany smiled but it broke Santana's heart to see that it wasn't full of the radiance it used to have.

"I couldn't get out of bed." She explained. Santana's blood ran cold.

"Cramps?" She tried, thinking of any other explanation. But the dots connected themselves.

"No, my legs wouldn't work." Brittany said matter-of-factly. Santana closed the gap between them and hugged Brittany. Brittany gripped onto Santana's arm so hard, it was as if she would fall if she let go. And Santana knew that may have very well been the truth.

As the months progressed, it became evident that Brittany was not getting better. Her condition worsened until even the dimmest of the Glee members (namely Rachel) noticed that Brittany wasn't just clumsy. But none of them dared speak a word about it for fear of destroying the blonde or incurring the wrath of her best friend.

Sue Sylvester was not so forgiving. The minute Brittany messed up so badly that she brought the whole pyramid down on her, Sue kicked her out. Perhaps it was a merciful act, perhaps it was just Sue being Sue but Brittany decided it was probably the best choice anyway. Without Brittany, though, Santana felt as though the Cheerios lost its appeal.

Santana wanted to ask what was wrong but she was afraid of the answer so it took Brittany to explain what was going on.

"The doctor says my legs won't work." She whispered, tucking her chin on her knees. Santana said nothing and kept eating. The two sat alone at lunch which brought the blonde some measure of comfort knowing that no one else was watching or feeling pity for her.

"Won't work for now?" Santana asked hopefully.

"No...they won't work anymore after this year, if they make it to then."

"Is there anything you can do about it?" The look and Brittany's eyes said no.

"They just...won't...work." Santana leaned over and put her arm around Brittany, pulling her close.

For Santana, things didn't sink in until one day, Brittany came to school in a wheel chair. Brittany offered a smile.

"At least I won't lose it this time." She joked. The rest of the Glee class tried to smile back. Santana took one look at Brittany and walked out of the room.

* * *

Brittany sat out regionals her last year. She watched as the group performed on the stage and felt a pang of regret. She was no where near as capable with a wheelchair as Artie was and told everyone she would just cheer them on. Mr. Shuester sat next to Brittany, holding her hand through the performance. Santana had a solo in the last song and she sang it, tears in her eyes while looking directly at Brittany.

They won nationals that year. It was a year Glee club remembered with a bittersweet smile. They had won but they could've blown the crowd out of the water had Brittany been up there with them. They missed one of their best dancers and it was plain to see that Brittany had missed them too.

"So...they can't do anything?" Rachel asked when Brittany wasn't around. "Like...she won't get better at all?"

"This sucks." Puck hissed. Santana said nothing. Since the whole incident began, it was like all the energy had left her body.

"Maybe they can do therapy or something." Tina offered.

"Santana, you should talk to her about that, you're her best friend." Rachel suggested. Santana stared at the blank piece of paper in front of her, meant for writing down ideas for a farewell song after they graduated. Instead, she took the paper and ripped it up, picked up her bag and walked out of the room.

* * *

Somehow, Santana had convinced Brittany to go to prom. Mike had been Brittany's date and Matt had been Santana's. But the two boys left the two girls alone at the table to join their other friends.

"You don't have to sit here with me." Brittany said. "Go join the others, they're having fun."

"I want to be here with you." Santana replied. The blonde smiled but didn't look at her. Instead, she watched as Rachel and Finn danced with each other in the middle of the dance floor, garnering all the attention.

"I got into NYU." Santana blurted. Brittany turned to her, eyes shining with joy.

"Congrats, San! I knew it!"

"I'm going to be a producer." Santana stated. "The best and I don't care who the hell gets in my way." Brittany clasped Santana's hand in hers.

"I know you'll be." Suddenly, Santana wished she hadn't said anything. She knew that Brittany was going to stay in Lima. Cheerleading and dancing had been her one selling point. Everyone knew Brittany wasn't going to get anywhere with her brains but her dancing had been more than enough to get her through life. And now she had nothing.

"I'm sorry." Santana whispered, pulling her hand away.

"Don't be." Brittany replied. "Just...don't be."

When graduation rolled around, Santana found she had a bitter taste in her mouth when Brittany went up to receive her diploma. She was shocked to find that it was the taste of tears streaming down her face. She quickly wiped them off, looking around to see if anyone noticed. Brittany received the loudest applause when her name was called. She smiled and waved as if she had just won an award. Santana found it hard to keep from crying or leaving.

The whole Glee club got together to take one last photo before everyone scattered to every direction. Brittany looked up at Santana.

"Can you help me up?" She asked. Santana stared at her. "I want to be standing for this photo."

"But Brittany, you can't..." Finn began before Santana shut her up with a glare. Santana found Brittany lighter than she thought and she and Quinn let Brittany rest all her weight on the two of them. The blonde smiled wider than she had in a while when the camera flashed. Afterwards, she sat back down in the wheelchair.

"Thanks guys." She said.

"Anytime."

"Party at my house later!" Kurt said. Brittany clapped her hands in excitement but Santana could only offer a small smile.

At the party, Kurt's father had left the house, telling them not to cause too much trouble. Of course the minute he shut the door, Puck brought out the beer and Tina had sneaked some liquor from her dad's cabinet. In less than an hour, almost all of them had gotten completely trashed. The only two sober ones were Santana and Brittany and they had snuck out of the party long ago.

The two of them walked the streets of Lima. Crickets sang and lightning bugs flashed in the humid summer night. Santana pushed Brittany's wheelchair along and Brittany took in her surroundings.

"I'm going to miss everyone." Brittany sighed.

"We'll visit you, wherever you are."

"Probably here." She admitted. A silence passed between them as they crossed the corner and somehow wound up at McKinley High. They stopped in the parking lot and Brittany lifted herself out of her chair and sat on the pavement, playing with the loose rocks. Santana could feel the mosquitoes eating at her but she didn't care. If they bit her and not Brittany, she'd stay there forever.

"Hey San?" Brittany whispered.

"Yeah Brit?"

"Can you just...hold me?" Without wasting a second, Brittany sat down behind her and hugged her so that her arms were resting on her collarbone. Brittany lifted her arms and touched Santana's hands. "I'm scared, San."

"I love you." Santana whispered into Brittany's hair. Brittany kissed Santana's wrist. The two of them stayed like that for hours, staring at the entrance to their high school. When it was time to go, Santana helped Brittany back into her wheelchair and the two of them went back to the party where everyone had either left or passed out on the floor. Santana wheeled Brittany back to her house later that night and, on impulse, kissed her on the lips. Brittany smiled the same radiant smile that Santana remembered from before the incident happened and she imprinted that in her memory as the door closed. That was the last that Santana saw of Brittany for years.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: This story's title, this chapter's song and some of the themes come from the song and music video Candle by The White Tie Affair (featuring Heather Morris!)

Santana Lopez was not one to mess with. She could buy a person, break them and sell them for twice the initial price. She could grind you up with her heel and no one would care. Santana Lopez was a scary, scary person. Beyond that, she was also brilliant. As a film producer, she could pull sponsors from seemingly no where. None of her movies were underfunded and she would oversee the whole project from start to finish with an eye for talent few others could boast about. Within the first year she became one of the most promising talents the film industry had in a long time.

She had burst onto the scene about seven years ago. Fresh out of college, she quickly went about establishing her name, even if it was by unconventional and slightly shady ways. In less than four years, she had made herself into a feared but respected producer.

The way she went about her personal business was not unlike her professional business. Over the course of her career, she dated a handful of men. Most of them were lawyers, other famous producers and and CEOs. None of these had lasted more than a few months. Her longest relationship was with a man roughly 12 years older who had proposed to her the night of their two year anniversary. Santana immediately rejected him, telling him she wasn't ready for such a big commitment. He broke it off with her the next day, yelling something about how she would never let him in or anyone else in for that matter and he might as well have dated a brick. Santana took this all in stride, he had served his use having introduced her to sponsors who were more than interested in the films she advertised. Santana Lopez was not someone who formed a relationship with someone who she couldn't use in some way or another.

One night, the telephone in her apartment rang. With an angry growl, she sat up, abandoning the nameless stranger she decided to bed for the night to answer it.

"What?" she demanded.

"Santana Lopez?" The voice on the other end was vaguely familiar and she racked her still drunk brain to figure out who it was.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"It's Quinn. Quinn Fabray." Santana suddenly got a lot more sober.

"Quinn? What the hell? It's like...4."

"I'm sorry, Santana...I'm..." It sounded like she was sobbing.

"Quinn?" At this point, her companion had also woken up and she made violent motions for him to leave promising certain death if he didn't do so within a few seconds. He complied, dragging his clothes with him as he exited.

"I'm so sorry Santana."

* * *

The funeral was arranged for the following week. All the Glee club members arrived, their mood somber. Santana looked around at the people she no longer knew. Rachel had made it to New York, fulfilling her dream of being on Broadway. She starred in some off Broadway productions before making her appearance in an Tony nominated role. She and Finn had an on and off relationship for the duration of her stay in New York before she moved out to California to pursue a film career. Finn had gone on to pursue a degree in teaching, following in Mr. Shuester's footsteps. He settled in northern Cali where he founded the first glee club at his high school. From what Santana heard, they were doing pretty well for themselves.

Tina and Artie had split up simply due to the distance but remained good friends throughout the years. Tina followed Kurt in the fashion business and Kurt became an interior decorator. The two of them had moderate success and were living fairly well off in Boston. Artie became a music historian in Tennessee, studying specifically the history of dance. From the emails she received and usually deleted, it sounded like Artie had met a lady working in the adjacent museum and were happily engaged.

Quinn Fabray had more or less settled down. She and Puck actually got married and stayed in Lima. Puck went to Ohio state while Quinn worked at home writing an advice column for the local newspaper. When Puck graduated, he returned to take coach Tanaka's place as football coach. The two of them eventually got married, something that Santana wanted to attend but didn't have the time.

Instead, she attended Puck's funeral. Somewhere along the lines, Puck's health had deteriorated for no apparent reason. Quinn found him on the floor of the kitchen convulsing. He had been unable to recover in the hospital and died shortly before Quinn called Santana.

Santana noted, with a hint of irony, that Quinn was pregnant.

Rachel held Quinn close as she cried into her shoulder. Finn (were they dating again? Santana thought with a mild look of disgust) stood close by, watching with red swollen eyes as they lowered the casket into the hole. Perhaps the years of bitterness had worn Santana down but she felt no sadness about Puck's passing. She felt a certain blankness. Where everyone else had strained to keep in touch, she made no such gesture. Naturally, this man with the characteristic mohawk being slowly buried was someone she had a memory of but nothing more. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she got into her car. She stopped dead when she saw a flash of bright blond hair in the crowd of black. She got out, closed the door behind her and walked as if possessed towards the girl in the wheel chair.

She looked nothing like the Brittany from ages ago. Everything that made her shine, her naivete, her charisma was gone. Where Brittany had been toned from her dancing, the girl in front of her was thin and broken. Santana had no words for her so she stood, transfixed a few feet away until Brittany noticed her.

"San?"

"Hey." She said automatically.

"Wow! It's been so long!" Brittany wheeled over to her and hugged her around the waist. Santana suddenly had the urge to run away.

"Yeah."

"I didn't see you at the wedding, or any of our reunions. I hear you're famous." Brittany seemed older, more tired and Santana hated it.

"You've changed."

"You too." Brittany retorted. Santana moved away from the blonde and they stayed in a strained silence. Santana wanted to scream to interrupt it but she didn't.

"I have a flight to catch. My movie needs me." She said and turned around.

"That's it, huh?" Brittany said sadly. "The tabloids were right. You really don't form relationships with anyone who isn't of any use to you."

"You don't know a thing about it." Santana snapped. She spun around, her eyes furious and expecting Brittany's to be the same. But what she saw was the same wounded puppy look that Brittany would give her every time she crossed the line back in high school.

"You said you would visit. You didn't so much as call." Brittany whispered.

"I'm sorry." The words felt strange coming up her throat. It had been such a long time since she apologized to anyone. Even seeing Quinn after she had lost Puck she hadn't said so much as "I'm sorry for your loss." She merely reached out awkwardly and touched her on the shoulder.

"It's ok. I know you don't want to associate with a Lima loser."

"You're not a Lima loser!" Santana shouted. The graveyard was impossibly quiet and Santana never though she would've ever wished for the noise of New York to drown out her thoughts.

"Santana, I work at Sheets and Things. I don't even know how to fold the towels properly."

"You're not a Lima loser." Santana repeated.

"I can't dance. That was the only thing I was good at."

"YOU'RE NOT A LIMA LOSER." Santana all but screamed at her. Brittany went silent. Santana took two big steps and positioned herself behind the wheelchair.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked as Santana began wheeling her to her car.

"I'm doing what I wanted to do every single day since I left you here." She responded. She opened the passenger door. "Get in." Brittany, as if nothing had changed, listened to everything that Santana said for her to do. She hoisted herself onto the seat with a little help from Santana and they drove to Brittany's house.

"Keys." She said, opening her hand.

"What?" Brittany was confused.

"Give me the keys to your house." She repeated. Brittany complied.

"What are you doing?" Santana said nothing and got out of the car. "Hey! Hey!" The brunette opened the front door and walked in. She looked around. Since Brittany lost the use of her legs, her mother had moved her room to the first floor. When Santana found it, she rummaged through the closet for a suit case. She found what she was looking for and opened all of Brittany's drawers. She started stuffing all of the clothes she could into the suitcases she found.

"What are you doing?" Brittany rolled in.

"You're leaving Lima."

"What?"

"God Brittany, did you ears go too?" Santana demanded. Brittany winced and instantly Santana felt bad. "Fuck, sorry. I just have been meaning to do this for a while."

"Where am I going?" Brittany asked.

"You're coming with me. You're going to New York." Santana said.

"No." Brittany replied.

"What did you say?"

"No. I'm not uprooting myself just to follow you on your stupid career where you probably won't even give two fucks about me after the first two weeks." Santana stopped packing. She stared at the clothes for a long time.

"I'm tired, San. I just want to be left alone. And I don't want to follow you like a lost puppy anymore."

"You're not a lost puppy, Brit. I'm going to take care of you like I should've. I'm your best friend." With that said, Santana kissed her. It wasn't a simple peck. Santana kissed her with as much emotion as she could muster and it was over a decade of wanting something she didn't have. After she broke the kiss off, Brittany simply said,

"Ok."

* * *

Brittany moved in a few days later. Santana had only managed two suitcases on top of her own and planned to have the rest of Brittany's possessions shipped to New York. It was difficult to adjust at first. Santana had to go to work and Brittany mostly hung around the apartment. Santana had carved out an empire, Brittany noted, looking at the various photos that she had lying around. She posed with famous directors, actors, company chairmen and all sorts of politicians. The apartment was clean and mechanically organized. Santana could use some color to it, for now the walls were a cream color with the only exception being a splash of gray or blue every other corner. She wheeled herself into the bedroom and stared at the queen sized bed. There was only one and even though Santana offered to sleep on the couch, Brittany convinced her that the bed was clearly big enough for three people. They fell asleep together though they maintained their distance during the night.

On the night stand was a tabloid that Santana had picked up for laughs but Brittany hardly found it amusing. There was a front page article about her with the caption, "Has Santana Lopez lost her edge?" Inside, there were plenty of pictures of Santana wheeling Brittany around and, as the captions underneath noted as if it were something heaved forbade, laughing. She cringed when the author of the article, clearly a master of words said, "Is this Lopez's attempt to be more human? Who is this mysterious blonde charity project?" But there were good pictures of them, some of Santana smiling, some of Brittany smiling and some of them just being in close proximity to each other. She cut out the photos and put them in an album, deciding to make the most of them.

She smiled a little when she found the senior yearbook lying underneath Santana's bed. She flipped through the pages and wondered where the time went. She couldn't stop herself from crying when she saw the photo they had taken right after graduation. She held the photo close and kissed the picture.

Santana simultaneously hated and loved coming home. She wanted to see Brittany but at the same time, when she turned the door knob, she'd find Brittany sitting near the window looking outside. What was she thinking, bringing her here? She had almost nothing to do. It hurt her when Brittany would hear the door open and break into a smile. She would wheel herself over and say,

"Hey San! How was your day?" Santana knew exactly how Brittany's day went.

One day Santana came home and Brittany was no where to be seen.

"Brit?" She shouted. She knew that Brittany went out during the day to look around and keep herself busy but she was always here when Santana came home from work. There were no exceptions. Santana felt her blood run cold and she dropped everything.

"Brit?" She yelled. "Brit?"

"Um...here..." She heard a small voice come from the bathroom.

"Brit are you ok?" Santana asked, knocking on the door.

"I need help." Santana walked in. Brittany lay in the bathtub, almost completely submerged in water. Santana blushed but she didn't look away. Brittany's hair was soapy and she held a sponge in one hand. Santana noted with sadness that Brittany's legs, once beautiful and elegant had become thin and bony where the muscles were no longer used.

"Are you ok?" Santana asked.

"Yeah. Um...I usually take a bath before you get back but I can't reach my back. Could you wash it for me?" Santana had seen Brittany naked before, it was no secret that the two of them frequently had sex back in high school. But this Brittany was vulnerable in a way she wasn't in high school and Santana realized just how much trust it took for her to ask this. Santana sat by the tub and took the sponge. She began washing slowly and gently, beginning at Brittany's shoulders and neck and slowly making her way in little circles down her back. Brittany smiled softly to herself. As ruthless as Santana might've been in the world of film, there was no question what she was like around a certain blonde. They had been living together for a little over a month now and everyday just being around Santana, watching how meticulously she cared, ate away at Brittany.

"Hold me." Brittany whispered so quietly that she wasn't sure that Santana heard. Santana did. She paused for a moment and then, suit and all, got into the bathtub with her. For a moment, Brittany was shocked. That suit was by no means cheap and Santana ruined it without a second thought just to give Brittany what she wanted. And that had to stop.

Brittany finished writing the letter and set it down on the counter. She grabbed the photo, allowing herself one small memory of the time they had spent together. She looked at the picture, saw the smiling faces of all her friends and kissed each of them. She turned towards the door, backpack on her lap and reached for the doorknob.

But Santana opened the door before she did and the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds in surprise. Brittany looked at the clock next to the door. It was hours before Santana was supposed to be home. Santana noticed the backpack.

"Where are you going?" Brittany looked down at the ground and said nothing. Santana searched her face but found nothing. Then she noticed the piece of paper on the table. She walked past Brittany and opened it. Brittany sat there, lip trembling while Santana skimmed it one, then twice.

"What the hell is this?" Santana demanded, shaking the letter.

"I'm so sorry." Brittany whispered on the verge of tears.

"What the hell is this? You're leaving?"

"I don't want to be a burden to you anymore. I was just going to go back to Lima and pick up where I left off." Tears fell freely from Brittany's azure blue eyes. Santana read the letter one more time as if it would change into something that made sense.

"'I'm only wasting your time...' 'You deserve better'" Santana quoted from the letter. "'I loved you'? This is bull shit!" She violently ripped the paper apart into bits, crying out in frustration.

"I love you, San, I can't let you be my caretaker for the rest of my life."

"Shut up!" Santana screamed. "You want to go back to Lima? Fine." She grabbed Brittany by the arm and lifted her over her shoulder.

"Santana put me down!" Brittany yelled. _When did you get so strong...?_

"I'm taking you back to fucking Lima since you want it so badly." Santana snapped. _When did you get so light...?_ Santana carried Brittany to her car and dumped her into the passenger seat.

"Let me out, Santana." Santana said nothing, locked the doors and started driving. Brittany turned her head away and her tears slid sideways from Santana driving so fast. The top of the car was down and the wind whipped through her hair. Once they hit the highway, Brittany resigned herself to whatever Santana was doing. She slowly drifted to sleep after the second hour just as the sun was setting.

Brittany awoke slowly. At first she though Santana had said something to her. She looked around and noticed that it had become dark. She looked at the time and realized they had been driving for nearly four hours. Santana didn't seem to notice that Brittany had awoken.

"_I took a ride on a February morning,  
Just getting over it and dealing with the mourning,  
__ I started thinking out loud: I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired,  
My baby's flying off the edge of the road,  
She's saying, "I'm so sorry about that note",  
That left me all alone,  
But I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired"_

Brittany realized Santana was singing. Santana had not sung since she graduated but Brittany did not know that. To her it sounded as if Santana had never stopped. She rested her head against the car door and listened.

_"Somebody turn the lights on,  
Somebody tell me what's wrong,  
I'd be lying if I told you,  
Losing you was something I could handle,  
Somebody turn the lights on,  
Somebody tell me how long,  
All this darkness will surround you,  
Cuz I'm burning for you,  
Burning like a candle"_

Brittany felt her heart pound. In the dimness, she saw Santana turn her head and stare directly at her. When they made eye contact, Brittany understood.

_"Seven days since I've seen your face,  
Seven nights I have laid to waste,  
I'm burning out now,  
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired,  
I know we're hanging at the end of the rope,  
We've flown too high, maybe swung too low,  
I heard a screaming out loud,  
I heard a screaming out loud."_

Santana was singing to her. She had never, ever done this before. But Santana was staring directly into Brittany's eyes and singing. Brittany didn't even notice when Santana slowed the car down and parked at the side of the road. She was transfixed by the brown eyes shimmering with tears in the little light that the car's headlights gave off. Santana straddled Brittany as she sang and grabbed both of her hands and lifted them so that they were on either side of Santana's face. Brittany felt wetness on Santana's cheeks and finally noticed the tears.

_"Somebody turn the lights on,  
Somebody tell me what's wrong,  
I'd be lying if I told you,  
Losing you was something I could handle,  
__ Somebody turn the lights on,  
Somebody tell me how long,  
All this darkness will surround you,  
Cuz I'm burning for you,  
Burning like a candle"_

Santana kissed both her palms and then kissed her lips. She could taste the salt from both of their tears and the two pressed their lips together hungrily as if they need to make up for all the kisses that never happened. When they broke for a brief second, Santana let out a choked sob and Brittany kissed her again just as frantically as the previous kiss had been. Finally, Santana pulled away.

"I can't let you go." Her voice shook with a sadness that startled Brittany. "I can't let you go. I don't care what happens, you could be a vegetable and I'll still take care of you. So please, please just tell me to go back so that I can just be with you."

"What if I tell you to keep driving?" Brittany asked.

"Then I will take you to Lima and you can go back to what you were doing and...and I'll leave you alone." Santana's body trembled. Brittany knew she loved the brunette sitting in her lap. She knew that she could trace her face for an eternity and always discover something new, a lost eyelash, a freckle, a new wrinkle as time went on. She loved Santana from her previous life where everything was bright and she could dance and laugh and smile. She loved her now for making breakfast in the morning even though she didn't eat it, for taking her out at night around the city despite the fact that she had to wake up at four to start answering emails and phone calls. She loved her for taking her away from Lima and getting into a bathtub with all her clothes on just to hold her close. It was only now that she realized she couldn't let go either.

"I don't want to be alone." Brittany breathed the words, hardly giving any sound to them. "So can I please go back with you?" Santana let out another sob but it was mixed in with a laugh. She kissed Brittany, smiled and laughed through the tears and repeated that several time before climbing back into the driver's seat.

"We'll make it work, Brit." Santana promised. "I'll make you happy." Brittany looked over at Santana who wiped her tears away and started the car. _If I'm going to rely on her then..._She leaned over and rested her head on Santana's shoulder. Santana glanced over at her and took her hands, lacing their fingers together. Brittany felt happy for the first time since she lost her legs. This new found happiness brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes that made the stars above her blend into one giant wave of light when she looked up. She heard Santana humming the song she had sung earlier. This time Brittany sang. Her voice was soft and almost lost as the car cut through the night but Santana caught the end of it.

_"Cuz I'm burning for you_

_ Burning like a candle."_

Fin


End file.
